Page 22

Bree

I floated numbly in the center of the coral palace’s grand hall, my tail heavy with resignation.

The ceremony—this sham of a wedding to a prince I despised—was mere moments from completion.

The end of my life as I’d known it, the end of my freedom, was nigh.

I could taste the salt of defeat on the back of my tongue, and the edges of my vision blurred.

Murmurs from the assembled courtiers pressed against me like a wall of sound I couldn’t answer. The sea witch had stolen my voice, and with it, the defiance I’d once carried like armor.

How had I let it come to this? How had I let her win?

A tremor ran through me, though I couldn’t tell if it was from rage or the cold bite of fear. Probably both. It didn’t matter. Despite my best efforts to find a way to stop this madness, I’d failed. Again.

Across the hall, a pedestal stood beside the king’s throne. It was a gaudy monument of coral and gold. The shell that held my stolen magic rested on top, glowing faintly with an inner pink light. Not just my magic—my voice .

A barrier of golden energy surrounded and shielded the shell, flickering as if alive. It was a constant reminder of the power the king wielded over me and the freedom I had lost.

I had stared at the shell countless times during my captivity, the knowledge that it was so close and yet unreachable gnawing at my resolve. Without my magic, I felt powerless.

Hopeless.

I was still finding it hard to believe that this was it. This would be my life now. For the umpteenth time, I wondered how in the dark abyss I had gotten myself into this mess.

I blinked back tears as I pictured my mother’s face. Easier to do now that Marissa was older. They looked so much alike. Every time I saw my sister, I heard my mother’s dying plea to take care of Marissa for her.

Straightening my spine, I pulled my shoulders back and held my head high. As terrible as this life would be, I was raised a princess. I could do this. I would not break.

Besides, I had no other choice.

Prince Zephyrion sneered at me as he extended a hand, his dark yellow scales glinting faintly in the bioluminescent light. "Take it," he hissed. "Seal your fate. Or should I command you like the little prawn you are?"

I forced my fingers to uncurl; the muscles aching from the tension I’d been holding. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t even scream. All I could do was glare.

I’d trained harder than half the royal guard and could have dropped most of them without breaking a sweat—on land. But that didn’t matter here. Not when every move had to be calculated, not when the king still had my magic.

As my hand trembled toward the prince, a shadow moved in the periphery of my vision. Then another. And another.

The first impact came with no other warning.

At first, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

A pod of blue whales burst through the palace’s coral walls, their powerful tails sending chunks of vibrant pink and green spiraling in all directions.

The sheer force of the water knocked several courtiers aside.

Their arms and fins flailed as they darted for safety.

Screams erupted. Schools of fish surged in panic, their shimmering bodies swirling like underwater storms. Dolphins darted through the chaos, and their sharp clicks echoed across the collapsing chamber. The once-regal hall had descended into complete pandemonium.

I had no idea what was happening, why these whales had crashed into the palace. Were they sick? Had they gone mad? The world around me felt like it was spinning out of control, the sounds of crashing and splintering echoing in every direction.

My heartbeat thumped wildly as the commotion thickened, and suddenly, it occurred to me—this was my chance.

While Zephyrion whipped his head around, shouting orders to the guards, I surged forward. I shot past the throne, where the king sat bellowing in rage, his tail pinned beneath a fallen coral column, and toward the pedestal where the shell was displayed.

That barrier of golden light still surrounded it. I reached for it, my fingers brushing the edge of the barrier, and recoiled as pain shot through my arm.

"Guards! Stop her!" Ateleíotes’s voice boomed over the chaos.

I glanced back, my heart hammering in my chest. The prince was swimming this way, his teeth bared, hatred in his eyes. Five guards weren’t far behind him. Even with the falling debris creating a moving obstacle course, I had seconds at most.

Good thing everyone underestimated me. I focused all my remaining strength on the shell.

If I didn’t have magic to break the barrier, then my determination would have to do.

With a deep breath, I slammed my fist against the golden light, feeling it sear my skin.

I gritted my teeth against the pain, pushing harder, and cracks formed in the barrier.

"Stop her!" the king shouted again, his voice a desperate roar.

Zephyrion lunged, his hands aimed at my throat.

At that exact moment, a tiny creature barreled into his face and knocked him sideways. My heart leaped into my throat as I recognized the creature as an axolotl. And not just any axolotl.

Finley! What in the seven seas was he doing here?

Even as tiny as the axolotl was, I knew Zephyrion was no match against his magic. Not for catching him, anyway. Luminara were prized and rare for a reason.

His appearance wasn’t much—a small, wriggling distraction—but it was enough. The prince swiped blindly at Finley, giving me the precious seconds I needed.

With a final push, the barrier guarding the shell shattered, popping like a bubble. My hands shook as I grabbed the shell, my chest tightening with a mix of desperation and defiance. I raised the shell above my head, then smashed it against the pedestal.

The force of the impact rattled through my arms. Shards went flying, and the sound of the shell breaking reverberated through the water.

The moment the magic surged into me, I gasped. Power flooded through every part of me, filling the hollow spaces I hadn’t realized were so empty until now. The ache of loss, the vulnerability, the quiet helplessness I’d been drowning in—it all evaporated in an instant.

My tail shimmered, vibrant and alive once again, and my scales glowed with a refreshed purple hue. Energy crackled under my skin, and my body thrummed with the familiar hum of magic. Tears burned in my eyes, but I didn’t bother to stop them. I was whole again. Me again.

And I would let no one take this from me ever again.

I turned to face Zephyrion, who froze as a strong current coalesced around him, swirling. I extended my hand, and the vortex surrounding him thickened, squeezing him like an invisible vice.

" Enough ." My voice was clear and resonant for the first time in weeks, and the prince’s eyes widened in shock. "I wasn’t born to be silenced. I was born to make waves."

The palace shook again as another wave of whales collided with the structure. Entire columns of coral floated through the murky water and cast shadows across trembling onlookers who hadn’t yet fled.

My gaze flicked to the axolotl flitting through the chaos, weaving between panicked courtiers and fallen debris.

Finley’s wide, gilled face split into a grin as he darted toward me. The axolotl swam a quick circle around my body, then nudged my arm. Time to go .

I didn’t need further encouragement. My magic surged outward as a forceful wave, pushing back Zephyrion and the guards who tried to block my path. The prince shouted something behind me, but I didn’t look back.

With a burst of speed, I scooped Finley into my hands and shot through the collapsing palace, zigzagging through the chaos until we met the open ocean. The water felt colder, yet somehow lighter against my skin. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I was free.

I grinned at the axolotl, his small body shimmering faintly in the beams of light. "You’re incredible," I murmured, and he chirped happily in response.

The relief was short-lived.

Shouts rang out behind us as a squadron of guards swarmed from within the crumbling palace. Out in the open ocean, they spotted me quickly.

Determination—along with a hefty dose of fear—settled in my core. There was no way I could win against so many, even with my magic back. But that wouldn’t stop me from trying.

As a princess, my magic was far stronger than that of the guards. It was a power carefully cultivated through generations of selective breeding and arranged marriages like the one forced on me.

But my father’s decision to promise me to Zephyrion hadn’t been about preserving or enhancing our magical bloodline. The prince’s magic was too weak for that. No, my betrothal had been purely a political move.

Regardless, I was, as Dominic might say, fuc?—

A shadow loomed over my head. My breath caught as I looked up, coming face-to-face with a blue whale.

Its enormous eye fixed on me, and for a second, the world seemed to shrink around us.

The whale blinked once, slow and deliberate, then opened its massive mouth, revealing a cavernous maw that seemed to stretch on forever.

Hop in! Finley darted inside without hesitation.

Panic surged through me as I glanced back. The guards were closing in fast, their shouts muffled by the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears. Every instinct screamed at me to flee in the opposite direction. But there was no time to think, no time to question.

So I didn’t.

I followed Finley into the whale’s mouth. A chill ran down my spine as the whale’s jaws closed behind me with an echoing thunk , plunging us into pitch black.